A Pembroke man is accused of kicking and beating a dairy cow with a large iron ice-chopper after the animal kicked him during a milking session, the Ontario SPCA alleges.

The agency says the 35-year-old will appear in court facing two charges of animal cruelty Tuesday.

A SPCA inspector was called to a farm in Pembroke Feb. 7 after receiving a concerned call about a Holstein-type dairy cow in distress.

After an investigation, the SPCA alleges that the man kicked to the cow in the stomach multiple times when it tried to kick while being milked, then picked up the ice chopper and hit it in the leg, causing a visible injury. When the animal kicked again, he again landed blows on its leg, the SPCA alleges, leaving visible wounds.

The man faces one count of willfully causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal and one count of wilfully wounding or injuring an animal.